Should I inform my (possibly) uninformed parent about drug interactions?

[Material541]

I am in a bit of a pickle here. Today, I saw a paper with a handwritten list of drugs in the kitchen. The list included zolpidem, tramadol, and zoloft. I believe this list was written by my dad. I know he was recently prescribed zolpidem and that he at least used to be on antidepressants in the recent past but I don't know if he has been prescribed the other two, or if he is even trying to get them.

My only concern about this situation is that he may not know that it is not a good idea to combine tramadol and an SSRI like zoloft. I am assuming that the doctor would let him know of these risks, if he told him he was on zoloft or trying to get that through that doctor too.

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to tell him about combining tramadol and zoloft. But I don't want him to get the idea that I was sneaking around looking through his things or anything. Not to mention he would be aware of my drug knowledge. As far as he knows, I am a drug-free upstanding college student.

It is my business to pry into his life like this?

 

[Legerity]

There are a lot of "ifs" here because you don't really know whether or not he is even taking these medications. If the list was out on the table then you can always say that you just stumbled upon it, and that a friend of yours had a very bad reaction combining those medications.

You can find out more without really causing any suspicion about your own drug use, especially since these are all prescription medications that you are dealing with.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Just ask your dad if he knows that the two drugs have an interaction. You can say that you saw the list, and looked it up on a drug interactions checker because you were concerned.

I don't see it as prying into his business at all.

 

[Material541]

Thank you both. I will do that. Yeah, I think I am making this into an unnecessarily complicated issue than it really is.